


Protection

by sharkbiteprincess



Category: Free!
Genre: Bullying, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-05
Updated: 2016-08-21
Packaged: 2018-02-19 23:00:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 11,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2406047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sharkbiteprincess/pseuds/sharkbiteprincess
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nitori had always been plagued by bullies, and now with Rin living in Australia, it's only gotten worse. But then Rin returns. Will Rin discover why he feels so protective of Ai or will he ruin everything they had?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"Hey Rin-senpai! How are things in Australia? I know you're probably busy, but I just wanted to let you know… our team made it to The High School Nationals in Tokyo! We've all been training so hard for this, it's incredible!

I've mostly just used the training schedule we had before you left. I've added a few more things but I didn't want to stray too far from the schedule you put in place.

We all miss you and Sousuke. Have you heard from him lately? I think he changed his email or something because he hasn't replied to my messages. I'll try again soon.

School is getting harder. Sometimes I have to let another team-mate lead the club because of the stress. I'm sure I can handle it though!

I really hope you're doing well. I…"

Nitori's fingers stopped on the keys. He hadn't seen Rin for almost 10 months now. He wanted to tell him how much he missed him. How much he just wanted him to come back, at least for a little while. He didn't usually get much of an email from Rin. A little praise for leading the team. An 'I'm fine.' that Nitori couldn't quite believe for some reason. Maybe it was the way Rin never went into any details about his time in Australia.

_Maybe I'm just putting too much thought into it…_

Nitori finished up the email (leaving out the "I miss you and want you to come back!" part) and sent it off. He sighed as he looked at the piles of books stacked dangerously high on his desk. He smiled as he remembered how much Rin hated the clutter. He was thankful that he wasn't sharing a room anymore. Momo was nice and all… but he was just a bit too… Momo.

Nitori had moved into his and Rin's old room. Sometimes he'd pretend Rin was there, so he could just talk about his day. He'd imagine Rin's snarky replies. A heavy feeling had come over him since Rin left, but Nitori was usually able to brush it aside and focus on study or the team. But some nights were worse than others.

Despite being the Captain of the Swim Team, he was still being bullied. It was never physical, just, sometimes, he'd walk past a group of students and overhear them whispering. Sometimes they'd cough slurs under their breaths and snigger about it.

He had told Rin about it once, and Rin said to just ignore them; that their opinions of the way he lived didn't have to mean anything to him. Nitori would always walk with Rin, because they wouldn't have dared to say anything cruel in is presence. But now Rin was gone, and he begun to hear the whispers more often.  _Fag. Homo. Sissyboy._  More often he was crying himself to sleep. The pressure of getting good grades as well as keeping up with the swim club was enough stress for him.

He sighed, the weight starting to bear down on his shoulders again, opened his workbook and tried to brush the thoughts away again.


	2. Chapter 2

   Rin gasped loudly as he pulled his head out of the water and tore his goggles off his head. _This time for sure!_ He though to himself.

   “Coach? How did I do?!” He asked expectantly. His coach looked down at the stopwatch and sadly shook his head. “You came in even later than last time.”

   “DAMMIT!” Rin cried out, punching at the water like it was to blame.

   “Maybe you just need some down time.” His coach suggested.

_No… I need to keep training… I need to get better…_

   “Maybe.” Rin sighed as he pulled himself out of the water and headed towards the showers. His coach followed after him.

   “A week, maybe even a month would do you good. Go on a holiday, meet up with your friends again. I highly recommend it! But remember to keep up with your exercise schedule.”

   “I’ll think about it.” Rin said bluntly, ending the conversation as he turned on the shower. His coach left and he stood under the warm water, running his fingers through his hair. He felt like punching the pale blue tiles in front of him. He pressed his palms against them instead, steadying himself as he lowered his head.

 _What am I doing wrong?_ He thought to himself angrily. His form in the water was perfect, but he had come 5th place in both the races he had swum that year, not even making it past the first round. He watched the water pour over his head and onto the floor, running down the drain. He sort of wished he could follow it. _Maybe I do need a break._

   Rin had been living in Australia for 10 months now and trained almost every day. Adjusting to living in Australia again wasn’t as hard as Rin thought it’d be. He frequently visited his abroad family and had taken some revisal English lessons for a few weeks and now almost spoke fluently. He had rented an apartment that was close to the swim centre. He had been wonderful when he had started swimming but his times had slowly started to decline. Rin didn’t really focus on much besides swimming and his physical education training classes nowadays. The only person he had talked to recently was his coach. He hadn’t even stopped to read his emails and texts from his friends.

   When he got home, he switched on his computer and logged into his inbox. The first email he saw was from Haru and Makoto. They shared an email address now since they started officially dating in Tokyo. Rin swore they already acted like a married couple. Rin knew that Makoto wrote all the emails, but he always wrote what Haru wanted to say as well. They talked about how well Makoto was doing in university and how Haru had made it to the semi-finals. They asked about his swimming and if he had made any new friends. They asked if he had met anyone special ( _Yeah, like I have time to think about that sort of thing…_ he thought to himself) and when he’ll be able to come and visit.

   His next email was a short one from Sousuke. He just said that he was doing well since the surgery. The surgery hadn’t fixed his shoulder so he could swim perfectly again, just to stop the constant pain that had kept getting worse since he pushed himself to swim months ago. He said that he was in physical training to get his shoulder working properly again, but he wasn’t sure how long it would take. He also asked about when Rin would be able to come and visit Tokyo.

   He had a message from Gou just telling him to remember to look after himself along with a cute picture of her new cat.

   His last message was from Nitori. He wrote about how well the team was going and how they missed him as Captain. He asked if he had heard from Sousuke. He mentioned some stress the schoolwork was giving him. He asked if Rin could visit.

   Rin wondered if Nitori was okay without him there. He knew his confidence had grown significantly in the last year Rin was there, which is one of the reasons he chose him to be Captain. He remembered before he came that Nitori had been bullied a lot. He remembered the first time his friend had run into their share room, climbed up on his bunk and stayed there for the rest of the afternoon, refusing to even talk to Rin. He remembered hearing soft sobbing as he was drifting off to sleep. He had gotten out of bed and rested his head on his arms on the top bunk, asking Nitori if he wanted to talk. He shook his head, while facing the wall, but then rolled over, wiping the tears from his eyes. He told Rin everything, and Rin was more than willing to listen.

   He told Rin how people had been bulling him because of his feminine looks and his way of life. He told Rin that he wasn’t able to tell his parents about being homosexual because they were very openly against it. It was one of the reasons he had chosen to live on campus, because his parents had started to get concerned and suspicious. He lied to his parents when he went to visit them, saying that he had a girlfriend. They always asked when they’d be able to meet the “special girl” but he always gave excuses. He was getting mentally exhausted with the lies.

   Rin told him to try and ignore all the hateful comments and since that night, he had unknowingly taken it upon himself to protect Nitori. He had help talk Nitori through coming out to his parents, and they had surprisingly become okay with it after a while.

   Although Rin sometimes got slightly annoyed by being called Senpai all the time, he had grown used to having Nitori trailing after him a lot of the time. He had felt homesick a lot for the past month or so. He missed his friends, he missed his team. He made up his mind.

   He started his reply to Nitori’s email.

   “Nitori, it’s great to hear you’re doing well with the team. I’m so proud of all of you! Also, I have some news. Guess who will be there to cheer you on in person…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit longer because I didn't write it at 2am!  
> Also "Knight in Shining Armour" Rin XD


	3. Chapter 3

   Rin asked his coach for a month’s leave. His coach gave him a training schedule and told him to have a good time. Emails were sent to and from Makoto and Haru and it didn’t take much convincing to let Rin stay with them for a month, with a week visit to see his friends at Iwatobi and Samezuka. They were all super eager to meet up again.

\---

   “Hey Haru!” Makoto called from the bedroom, sitting on the bed with the laptop open.

   “Yeah?” Haru called out from the bath.

   “Rin’s coming to Tokyo!”

   “Cool.”

   “He’s asking if he can stay here for a month!”

   “Okay.”

   “Are you really okay with it?”

   “I am if you are.”

   Makoto heard the bath water sloshing around as Haru got out and walked to the bathroom door. Makoto’s eyes went wide and he blushed a deep red. Even after 7 months of dating, it was still shocking to see his boyfriend and lifelong friend standing naked in his bedroom, a towel draped over his head and shoulders.

   “Well then you’ll have to start wearing pants for a while.” Makoto said sadly.

\----

   Rin sent a message to Sousuke and they arranged to meet up sometime during the month. Rin just really wanted to make sure he was okay. Not being able to swim at his full potential had brought him down a lot. Rin was sure he was strong enough to handle it though.

He found himself really happy with the idea of going back to see Samezuka Academy and the new swim team. Even though he wasn’t a student, he was sure the principle would let him in for a few training sessions. He was looking forward to meeting up with Nitori again. He imagined the smile that Nitori would give him, and then wondered why he was imagining Nitori smiling at him. He ran his hands through his hair and then started to write an email to Gou and his mother.

\----

Nitori read through the message again, his face lighting up even brighter. “He’s coming back!” he said aloud to himself. He rushed out of his room and ran down the hall to inform Momo.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rin realises why he's swimming is going downhill. Haru already knew.

   “Flight 246 will be boarding in 10 minutes.”

   Rin’s bag had already been loaded on the plane. He was sitting in the waiting area, sending off some last minute texts before his trip. A text from Makoto saying, “We’ll meet you at the gate.” A reply from Nitori that contained about 50 exclamation marks, which made Rin laugh aloud.

  _I should have done this months ago,_ he thought to himself.

   A 10 hour flight later, and Rin stepped through the door into the airport.

   It was the first time Rin had actually seen them together like this. They were at the gate, Makoto standing behind Haru with his arms over his shoulders. It was surprisingly not odd for him to see them standing that way; they had always been so close.

   Haru had started renting his own place in Tokyo a few stations away from Makoto after they graduated. After two months they decided it would be cheaper for the both of them if they just shared Makoto’s apartment. After a month they were dating. Haru’s reasoning was that it was just simpler if Makoto knew his true feelings instead of hiding them from him, but Haru was surprised when Makoto told him he had always felt the same.

   “Gross.” Rin greeted them with a smile, and Makoto stuck out his tongue.

   “It’s good to see you again, Rin.” Haru said, a slight smile on his face. He always seemed to have a smile on his face now. Rin wasn’t sure if it was because he was now swimming competitively for Tokyo or if it was because of his new relationship with Makoto.  He figured that it was probably both.

   “How’s Australia treating you?” Makoto asked, and Rin frowned.

   “I’ll talk about it later…” Rin mumbled. Both Makoto and Haru’s eyebrows crinkled together into concerned expressions. _Yeah, now their expressions are in sync,_ Rin thought.

   They took the late train back to Makoto and Haru’s apartment. Rin almost fell onto Makoto because he had started to doze off.

   “Rin?” Makoto asked quietly, rousing Rin from his half sleep.

   “Yeah?”

   “You tired?”

   “Seems like it.” Rin said, yawning.

   “So is he.” Makoto said, pointing to Haru on his other side, his ebony hair resting on Makoto’s shoulder, his eyes closed and his breathing deep. Rin chuckled.

   “So you’re not doing so well in Australia?” Makoto questioned, looking at Rin out of the corner of his eye, unsure if he should be asking. Rin sighed.

   “Not really.”

   “I’m sorry to hear that.”

   “Don’t be.” Rin said, a touch of hurt in his voice. “I just have to get better.” Makoto stared hard at the floor of the train carriage, Rin’s words running through his mind. He decided not to respond yet.

 

   Rin fell asleep as soon as he hit the mattress. 

  

   He awoke groggily as a beam of light shone across his face. He was still jet lagged and just wanted to keep sleeping but the sun poured into the room relentlessly and his blanket was just too hot. He huffed as he sat up, wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth and brushed his hair out of his face. He unsteadily made his way to the kitchen and switched on the kettle, trying to find his way around the unfamiliar cupboard and shelves. He soon found the coffee and sugar and proceeded to make his morning beverage (two teaspoons of coffee, three teaspoons of sugar, black). 

   He made his way back to the, surprisingly, rather comfortable futon in the lounge room. He assumed this is where Haru used to sleep before he had relocated himself into Makoto’s bed.

   He took a large sip from the hot mug as he heard the boys’ bedroom door open. He heard shuffled footsteps and a sleepily mumbled “Mornin’” from Haru. Before Rin could swallow his mouthful, he turned to wave and started choking. He coughed hard after he managed to get the liquid to co-operate with his throat, watching wide eyed as Haru walked bare-ass naked to the bathroom and shut the door behind him.

   “Haru!” Makoto yelled from the bedroom. He ran out of the room in his boxers, Haru’s underwear clutched in his hand. “Oh, Rin! I’m sorry! I told him not to do this!” Makoto yanked the bathroom door open, to an annoyed, “Hey!” from Haru inside and slammed the door. Rin stared after him, and looked back to his coffee. _Well, I’m awake now._

   For the rest of the day, Makoto apologized repeatedly and Haru stated repeatedly that his jammers didn’t really leave much to imagination and that Rin had probably seen his ass sometime in the many years they had shared a dressing room.

   “Actually, I haven’t.” Rin said. “I tend to keep my eyes to myself when I’m dressing.”

   “Oh…” Haru uttered. “I’ve seen yours.” Rin started choking again, this time on air, as his face flushed as red as his hair.

   “What?!”

   “It was an accident.”

   Rin buried his face in his hands as Makoto laughed.

   “You didn’t have to tell me! I could have gone the rest of my life without knowing that!” This made Makoto laugh even harder, and Haru joined in with a small giggle.

_HE FUCKING GIGGLES NOW?_

\----

 

   Haru made mackerel for dinner, much to Rin’s displeasure. He ate the fish without complaining, listening to Makoto recount the story of the time Haru had tried to teach him how to cook.

    “…I had accidentally used salt instead of sugar! I thought I completely ruined it, but Haru was able to save the meal. He is a really good cook! Haru, you should make your honey pancakes tomorrow morning!” 

   “Maybe.”

   “They definitely taste better than…” Makoto shivered at a memory. “…the mackerel pancakes. Ergh.” 

   “I thought they were fine.” Haru said defensively. Makoto slung his arm around Haru’s waist and looked at Rin. 

   “He doesn’t want to admit that he made a mistake that time.” He laughed. Haru grumbled. Makoto leaned in to place a kiss on his cheek but Haru pushed his face away. 

   “I’ve lost my appetite. You two are sickening.” Rin said with a smile and Haru swatted at him as well. 

   “So Rin?” Makoto drawled. “Have you met anyone _special_ yet?”  

   “I told you in my email. I’ve been way too busy to think about mushy love stuff.” Rin looked to the ceiling, his fingers lacing behind his head. “Even if there was someone, I wouldn’t have the time.” 

   “You sound like the most boring boyfriend.” Haru muttered. Rin shot him a firey stare. 

   “I’ll be a great boyfriend. Just not right now.”

   “Is it because of your swimming?” Haru asked. 

   “Of course it is.” Rin started. “I’m… losing focus or something. I don’t really understand what’s wrong, but my times are slower than they used to be. I’m still training as hard as usual, maybe even harder. But… I just keep losing.” He looked back to see Haru staring at him, his brow crinkled again. 

   “Do you accept the water?” 

   Bewildered, Rin said, “I guess so?” 

   “Really?”

   “I’m not sure what you’re asking me, Haru…”

   “Do you still like swimming?” Makoto explained. Rin looked at the both of them, confused.

   “Well… yeah. I’ve always liked swimming!” Rin thought back to the last time he stayed in Australia and it hit him like a freight train. It was happening again. “Oh god.”

   “What?” Makoto asked. Haru just looked at Rin, already knowing. 

   “I like swimming… with my friends.” His shoulders sagged. “I haven’t even bothered trying to make friends this time. Shit. Maybe that’s the problem. I didn’t make friends last time either, and I wasn’t good enough. As soon as I met up with you guys again though, I got faster.” His eyes widened. Haru smiled at him. 

   “Then all you have to do is make friends in Australia, right?” Makoto asked. Rin thought of the guys he swam with and his face fell. None of them really seemed friendly. They were all just competitive. They were competition, not team members and definitely not friends. 

   “Urgh. I’ll figure it out.” Rin said, closing the conversation. They continued eating in silence, Rin picking at the fish with his chopsticks. After a while, he excused himself from the table, saying goodnight to the boys as he retired early. Makoto and Haru looked at each other and sighed.

 

\----

 

   The bed shifted. Makoto reached out for Haru’s arm. 

   “Haru…” he mumbled. 

   “Yeah?”

   “Underwear.”

   Haru hummed in approval, and tried to get up but Makoto held firm to his arm and pulled him back down on top of him, planting a kiss on his lips. 

   “Can I go piss now?” Haru asked, his voice muffled into Makoto’s neck while he was hugged tight. 

   “Yeah, yeah.” Makoto said, letting him go and rolling over, snoring again within seconds as Haru pulled his underwear on. Haru reached over to pet Makoto’s hair and then stepped out of the room. He looked over to see Rin sitting with his back to the door again, a steaming coffee in his hand. 

   “Less naked today?” Rin asked. Haru smiled. 

   “Slightly, yeah.” He continued to the bathroom.

 

\----

 

  As Haru washed his hands, he thought about what Rin said the night before. He had already known what was wrong, what affected the way Rin swam. He had figured it out two years ago. He just wished he knew how things could work out well for Rin. He had absolutely no clue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a little rushed, I'm sorry. Enjoy, I'll proofread it for the 10th time tomorrow :P Also enjoy a little Makoharu fluff :3


	5. Chapter 5

   Laughs trailed after him through the corridor. Nitori glanced over his shoulder but couldn’t find the source. He lowered his face, his fringe hiding his eyes as he walked faster. He let go of a breath he didn’t know he was holding as he was greeted by the swim club.

   “Senpai!” Momo ran up to him, staring into his eyes with a large grin on his face. “Is Rin-senpai coming today?” Every day since Nitori told him Rin was visiting, it had become like a ritual; like if Momo kept asking, it would make Rin arrive faster. _If only… he’d definitely be here already._

   “Eh?” Momo cocked his head at Nitori’s far-away look. “Well?”

   “I haven’t gotten another email yet. You know I’d tell you and the whole team if I knew.” Nitori noticed a teammate wave to him. “Go get changed, Momo.”

   “Ah, yeah!” Momo cried out as he ran off.

   “Hey, Nitori!” Takuya called out. Takuya Uozumi, a tall mohawked boy, had joined the team last year and was incredible at the butterfly stroke. He and his friend Kazuki Minami had become part of the relay team with him and Momo. Nitori waved back to him and strolled over.

   “Hey Takuya, sorry about yesterday… I was…”

   “I understand. I don’t mind looking after the team, really!” Takuya held up his hands defensively, smiling. Nitori ruffled up the hair on the back of his head, ashamed that he couldn’t even look after the team on his own.

   “It’s just that my parents really want me to do well on my exams. They don’t care about my swimming, or my responsibility to the team.”

   “I know, I know.” Takuya said sadly, placing a hand on his shoulder. “I want to help you out, ok? If you need anything, just say the word.” He punched Nitori’s arm softly. “What are friends for, huh?”

   “T…thanks.” Nitori stuttered, blushing slightly. He admired the younger boy, but was also a little jealous because of how much better he was at swimming. He frowned at the ground, but then looked up and smiled at Takuya. “I’ll be okay today!” he said, and then turned to walk to the change room.

   Nitori hated the feeling of jealousy. It was the same feeling he got whenever Rin was around his Iwatobi friends, although it had lessened over the past two years. He still felt a pang of guilt at how jealous he was. He shook his head. He emerged from the dressing room before Momo.

   “Okay guys, gather round!” Nitori called out, false confidence filling his voice. Takuya and Kazuki took their time walking up to him, as they were both trying to push each other into the pool. Momo stumbled out of the dressing room and stood at attention in front of Nitori, a serious look on his face as he saluted him.

   “Nice, Momo.” Nitori laughed. “A little too formal though.”

   “Ai ai, Captain!” Momo said, a smirk on his face. Nitori glared at him.

   “What’s on the agenda today?” Kazuki asked innocently as Takuya made his way out of the pool.

   “Since I was absent yesterday, today we should focus on our relay times.” Nitori stated. “We have to get our switch time down to the shortest time possible. Yeah, we’re good, but we have to be better if we’re gonna beat the other teams in the nationals, that includes Iwatobi High.”

    “Ah!” Takuya cried, punching the air. “I’m gonna whoop Ryugazaki’s ass!”

    “Don’t forget that he almost beat you last time!” Kazuki said, placing his hands on his hips.

    “That’s just because you were too slow!”

     “Tsk, sure…”

     “Guys?” Nitori tried to put on a hard face, which made Momo snigger. “So, we know what we need to do?”

     “Yes Captain!” They cried out in unison.

     “Let’s get to it then!” Nitori cried. He climbed up onto a platform and applied his swim cap. He put on his goggles, pressing them against his eyes softly. He grabbed a hold of the band under his finger, pulled and snapped it against the back of his head. After almost a year, he had finally gotten it right. He smiled to himself as he thought of his idol and dived into the pool.

 

\----

 

   That night, Nitori tried his hardest to focus on his study, but the only thing that was hard was pressed up against the inside of his underwear. He tried to read the words on the pages of his book, but he was distracted by his sudden lewd thoughts. He damned himself, pushing away from the desk and standing. He looked to the bottom bunk of his bed and could see Rin there, reading a book with one hand while the other arm was propped up under his head. He was wearing his black singlet and his grey track pants. His shirt had been hitched up slightly, so his lower stomach was peeking out. Nitori couldn’t help staring. Rin lowered the book, his eyes dark as they trailed down Nitori’s body.

   He thought back to that afternoon last year. Rin hadn’t even noticed that Nitori had seen him watching him. Nitori had wondered what had been going through his mind.

   _Did he always look at me that way when I wasn’t looking?_

   The thought sent a chill up his spine and a warmth to his abdomen. His breathing grew heavy as he sat down on the bunk. He quickly removed his clothes, suddenly much too hot and constricting. He glanced down at his erection and traced his fingers along his shaft delicately. He closed his eyes, imagining Rin touching him softly. Fingers trailing down his stomach, stroking the pale hairs that trailed down from his navel to his member. He gasped as he groped his shaft.

   “Ah, Rin!” he gasped as he imagined the red haired boy pumping him, his thumb settling on the head of his cock. Nitori thrust up into his hand, moaning quietly. Nails dug into his hips as they bucked, Nitori gasping, remembering the way Rin had looked at him. The way he just wanted to…

   “AH!” Warm cum spurted from his cock and landed on his stomach in ribbons. Nitori placed his arm over his eyes, breathing slowly and heavily as he allowed himself to succumb to the satisfied feelings rushing over him for the moment.

   _I cum while thinking of my best friend…_ the bitter thought washed through Nitori’s mind, making tears prick the corners of his eyes. _What sort of friend am I?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I need to try making longer chapters. And I am not really good at writing smut but heyyyyyy


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure if this chapter is written well enough but oh well. Friend times!

   “Hey _Sissyboy_!”

   “Aww… aren’t you pretty when you cry…”

   “Look at us when we talk to you!”

   “Let me go! Plea-“

 

\----

 

   “They’re here! They’re here!”

   “Yes! I can see that!”

   A blur of pink and yellow latched itself around Haru’s neck, laughing loudly. A tall blue haired boy followed after him, slower but still as excited. Makoto laughed and Haru struggled in Nagisa’s grasp.

   “Nagisa, get off the poor boy!” Rin smiled, pointed teeth gleaming. Haru looked over at Rei, his eyes screaming for help. Rei walked over, grabbing Nagisa around his waist. Nagisa paused and then unattached his arms, letting Rei lift him. It amused Rin how easily Rei could carry him around and how Nagisa just let him.

   “No… more… jumping, ok?” Haru gasped, rubbing his neck. Rei let Nagisa drop to stand on his feet.

   “Okay, okay! But it’s been sooooo long since I’ve seen all of you, Haru-chan!” Rin sniggered at Haru’s small flinch.

   “We’ve missed you too,” Makoto said with a smile, ruffling the blonde boy’s head.

   “Wow, Mako-chan. Have you always been that tall?” He was about to leap up on him, but Rei put a hand on his shoulder.

   “Come on, Nagisa! They’re probably super tired from the flight.”

   “Oh yeah.” Rin said, yawning. His eyes flitted around the waiting room, spotting a girl with long red hair that matched his own.

   “Rin!” Gou called out, waving her arms above her head. His mother stood by her side, smiling widely. Rin felt tears prick the corners of his eyes as he ran to his family. He threw his arms around the women, tears falling from his eyes.

   “Ahah, you’re such a cry-baby!” Gou sobbed, hugging him back.

   “Oh Honey, I’ve missed you so much!” His mother cried, burying her face into his shoulder.

   “I’ve missed you too! I can’t believe you came all the way to the airport!”

   “Tsk, it’s not that far away!” Gou said. Rin let them go, smiling and wiping his tears away. He looked back to his friends, Nagisa now with his arms locked around Makoto’s neck as Rei tried to pull him off. Haruka was looking up at them with a huge smile on his face.

   “You boys look like you’ve been away from each other for far too long,” Rin’s mother stated. Rin nodded slightly as they walked up to his friends. Greetings passed amongst them. Rin picked up his bags.

   “We’ll be going back to Makoto’s place.” Haru said.

   “Yeah, Nagisa and Rei are staying over too.” Makoto said. “I’m guessing you’re going home as well.”

   “Yeah,” Rin said. “I’m planning on going to the academy tomorrow. Nitori and Momo have been rather persuasive.” He thought back to the excited email that Nitori had sent back to him, mentioning that Momo was, at the time, bounding up and down the hall telling anyone that was awake that he was coming to visit in a week or so. “Apparently everyone is expecting me now.”

   Makoto laughed, “I see. Well, you have fun then!”

   After another round of Nagisa’s affection (Rin couldn’t shake him off for about a whole minute), the Iwatobi boys walked out to Rei’s car. Rin promised them he’d come for dinner the next night. He and his family caught the afternoon train. Rin stared out the window, looking over the familiar landscape.

   That night, before dinner, Rin typed out a message to Nitori stating that he’ll be at tomorrow afternoon’s practice. Before he went to bed, he checked his email. Nitori hadn’t replied.

 

\----

 

   Rin looked up at the impressive building that was Samezuka Academy. He sighed deeply, feeling more at home that he had in months. He placed his hand on the bricks, warmth and familiarity washing through him. He gradually made his way up the stairs to the office. He smiled kindly at the receptionist behind the desk. The woman’s eyes lit up in recognition.

   “Rin Matsuoka? We haven’t seen you in a while!” she said.

   “Yeah,” He replied. “I’ve come to visit my old team. I was wondering if I needed to set up a meeting with Mrs Wakahisa or something…”

   “No, it’s fine.” She said, waving a hand. “Just sign in here…” she gestured to a guest book. “And sign out again when you leave. One of the students have made us aware of your visit.”

_Momo…!_

   Rin walked slowly through the school and waved back to people who recognised him. A few students stopped him to ask him what it’s like living in Australia but he tried to keep the conversations short, eager to get to the pool and see his friends.

   “Yo!” Rin called out as he yanked open the door to the pool, and everyone turned to look at him. Many faces lit up with smiles. “Where’s my team at?”

   The members of the Samezuka team ran up to him, some still drenched after hurriedly hopping out of the pool, crying out his name. Two of the larger members hauled him up on their shoulders, and Rin laughed harder than ever.

   “Rin-senpai!” Rin’s head snapped to the side, expecting to see Nitori smiling up at him, but instead Momo was there, his hands waving wildly. A small wave of disappointment washed over him, but he grinned and high fived him, and soon enough everyone wanted one. He was lowered to the ground again, the excitement slowly dying down, as those who had been swimming previously hopped into the pool again.

   “Okay!” Said one of the team mates (Takuya, he recalled), talking to those in the water, amusement in his voice. “That’s enough distraction for one day! Don’t forget that we’re still training for Nationals!” He winked at Rin as he said this. “Five more laps to go!” Rin looked back at him confused, then turned to Momo.

   “Momo? Where’s Nitori?” He asked.

   “Oh…” A sad look came over Momo’s face. It was probably the first time Rin had ever seen him with any sort of negative expression. “He didn’t show up for practice yesterday afternoon. I… I went to his door to ask him about it, but he said to go away. I tried again a few times but he kept telling me to leave. I thought for sure he’d be here this afternoon, with you visiting and all, but…”

   “Which room?” Rin asked, his voice hard, shocking Momo.

   “Ah! Your old room. He moved out of mine the first chance he got; I’m not sure why.” Momo said, rubbing the back of his head, looking away. “Maybe it was the toads…” He looked back up to see Rin running out the doorway, towards the living quarters. He blinked and then turned away, sure Rin would be able to find out what was wrong with his friend.

 

\----

 

   Rin’s heart hammered in his chest as he ran up the stairs to Nitori’s room. He stopped at the door and pressed his ear up against it. He heard heavy breathing. He drew his head away and knocked twice. No reply. He knocked again, harder.

   “Go away, Momo!” Rin was startled to hear the harsh note in the normally timid voice, and he became panicked.

   “Nitori?”

   Silence…

   More silence…

   Rin hammered on the door again. “Nitori! What’s wrong?!”

  “R… Rin?” he heard his voice crack as he said his name. His broken voice sent a jolt down his spine.

   “Yes, Nitori! Please let me in! Tell me what’s going on!”

   A few seconds passed, Rin lifted his hand to knock again but the door swung open. Nitori was standing there, his head lowered. He was about the same height as Rin now. Rin noticed this, and then his clothes. His grey shirt was torn at the neck and covered with a light coating of dirt. His hands lied limp by his sides, the knuckles bruised. Rin softly grabbed his shoulders.

   “What ha…” his words were cut off as he gasped when Nitori lifted his head, evenly eye to eye with Rin. “Shit.” he swore quietly.


	7. Chapter 7

   Nitori looked up into Rin’s eyes slowly and let out a shaky breath. He saw a mixture of expressions fly across his face. Surprise, fear, sadness… and rage.

   “Shit.”

   Rin gripped his shoulders tighter as he studied Nitori’s face. His left eye was a purple-black and almost swollen shut. He had a bruise at the corner of his right eye. His bottom lip was bruised and had been bleeding.

   _ARE THOSE TEETH MARKS?!_ Rin thought, shocked and appalled.

   Nitori’s eyes, cheeks and nose were red from what could only have been an excessive amount of heavy crying.

 _Rin. Oh my god Rin. Help me Rin._ He could read his eyes so well.

   Fresh tears started to fall from Nitori’s right eye and down his face. His bottom lip quivered as he looked deep into Rin’s eyes. All Rin could see was pain. “Rin-senpai…” Nitori cried as he collapsed, throwing his arms around Rin’s middle, sobbing heavily into his shoulder. Rin was startled but quickly hugged Nitori’s shoulders and head, burying his face into his hair.

   Nitori’s tears bled through Rin’s shirt as Rin felt an almighty rage building in him. He wanted to demand who had done this to his friend and rip their head off. He felt Nitori’s hands clutch at the back of his shirt and Rin hugged him harder, pulling him in closer. He just wanted to protect him from the whole world. _No, don’t start yelling. He doesn’t need it._

   All Rin could think to say was, “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

 

\----

 

   _Nitori ran into his room, his arm around his middle, slamming the door behind him. He felt like screaming although all he could do is shake as the sobs racked his body. He fell to the floor on his hands and knees, just trying to get a grip of something solid, but it felt like his hands just wanted to pass right through the carpet. He could still feel their hands, tearing at his clothes, pulling his hair._

_“I thought you liked this, you fag!”_

_Laughing, they were all laughing. He couldn’t tell how many there were. All he remembered was their angry eyes._ Why were they angry at me? I did nothing wrong! 

   _He had tried to cry out but they gagged him. He had tried pleading but they had ignored him. He had felt a foot strike him in the ribs. He had felt a fist hit him in the face. He had felt… teeth, biting down on his bottom lip…_

_He was falling, falling, he couldn’t hold on to anything. There was nothing to hold on to. Darkness mercifully swallowed him._

\----

 

_He woke up still crying. He heard knocking on his door._

_“Nitori? Why weren’t you at practice today?”_

_He didn’t want to talk. He didn’t want to move. The knocks were louder now. They throbbed in his head._

_“Nitori!?” Momo called out, trying the doorknob._

_“Go…” Nitori tried calling back, unsuccessfully, his throat raw. “Go away!” he called, a little clearer this time._

_“Are you okay?”_

   _He didn’t know if he’d ever be okay again. The tears fell heavier. He curled his arms around his knees, his bruised ribs screaming at him, still lying on the bedroom floor._

_“I’ll come back tomorrow.” Momo called out, obviously not hearing the pain in Nitori’s voice._

_The darkness didn’t take him that night. Thoughts swirled in his head all night, making him feel so sick. He felt damaged beyond repair. He could still hear the voices jeering at him as they abused him. He just wanted to scream._

_\----_

 

   Rin had to half carry Nitori back into his room. He didn’t want to ask what happened. Not yet. But he could see it in Nitori’s eyes. He had been broken. Somebody broke him. And he wasn’t there to save him. He looked so scared and tired. He sat Nitori down on the bottom bunk and returned his arms around him. The younger boy held on to him tightly, like Rin was the only thing he could hold on to.

   “Oh god, Rin. I… I…” Nitori tried to speak, hiccupping through his sobs. “I’m... I… don’t know… what to do…” Rin placed his hand on his head, quieting him.

   “Shhh…” he said quietly, trying to calm the boy’s breathing. He stroked his hand over his hair. “You don’t have to do anything.” Nitori hiccupped again, sniffing. He lifted his hand to wipe at his face and flinched as he touched his black eye.

   “My eye...” he sobbed. “They… they hit me. So much…” Rin stroked his fingers though his hair again and again, as Nitori’s sobbing lessened and his breathing started to even out.

   “Rin?” Nitori asked quietly, on the edge of sleep a few minutes later, his head on Rin’s shoulder.

   “Yeah?”

   “C…can you stay?” Rin looked down at him. “Tonight… I mean… I feel better… with you here.” 

   Rin let Nitori go slowly, lying him down on the bed. Nitori looked up at him, a little hopeful. Rin’s rage started building again at seeing his damaged face, but he quickly pushed it down. He nodded. He could explain to the principal tomorrow. He didn’t even care if he got into trouble. Nitori needed him.

 

\----

 

   When Rin could tell Nitori was asleep, he stood from the desk and quietly left the room. He looked out the window at the end of the hall and saw the sun heading down towards the horizon, throwing an orange glow over him. He took out his phone and dialled Makoto’s number. 

   “Hey Rin! Having fun at school?” Makoto laughed as he answered the phone. 

   “Actually, no.” Rin sighed. 

   “Eh?” Makoto questioned. 

   “Is Haru there? I need to ask some advice from you both.” 

   “Oh, sure! I just have to… uh… get him out of the pool first.” He heard Makoto’s heavy footfalls as he walked to the edge of the pool. “Haru?” Rin had to hold the phone away from his ear as Makoto shouted, “HARU! YOU’RE NOT SUPPOSED TO SLEEP IN THE POOL!” Rin heard from a distance, Haru reply, “I sleep in the bath, how is this any different?” and some splashing as he emerged from the water.

   “Rin needs to talk to us.” Makoto said to Haru. “Okay Rin, it’s on loudspeaker, we’re just gonna head into the changing rooms. What’s the matter?”

   “Nitori was in a fight. No. He was attacked.”

   “What?” Makoto cried out. He didn’t really know the grey haired boy, but he knew that he wouldn’t hurt a fly. “Who would do that?”

   “I don’t know yet. I haven’t asked. I spent most of this afternoon calming him down. It happened sometime yesterday though.”

   “That’s awful! What are you going to do?”

   “That’s why I’m calling you guys. I don’t know what to do. I’ve never dealt with anything like this before.” _No one has ever bullied me before…_ “Have either of you been bullied?”

   “You were bullying us a bit last year…” Haru started, before Makoto cut him off with a nervous laugh.

   “Well, we’ve never really been in any sort of bad bullying situations… there were a few kids in primary school that made me cry once… but Haru put a stop to that pretty quickly. They were scared of him.” Makoto laughed again. “I don’t understand why!” Rin heard Haru grumbling in the background.

   “Seriously though guys, do you have any advice?” Rin asked, getting a little irritated.

   “You could try talking to the bullies?”

   “Nitori’s black eye tells me this is way too late for talking.” Rin said, audibly gritting his teeth. He heard Makoto gasp.

   “He didn’t tell a teacher or the principal about it yet?” Haru questioned.

   “It looks like he hasn’t left his room since it happened.”

“Oh,” Haru hummed. “Well, when he feels up to it, take him to the principal. They’ll need to know and they’ll more than likely be able to help.” 

“That sounds like a good idea.” Rin quietly opened Nitori’s bedroom door, seeing him still sleeping peacefully. He checked the clock on the wall. 4:50pm. How is it that late already? 

   “Also, I won’t be able to come out for dinner tonight.” Rin sighed. “Nitori asked if I could stay. I can’t leave him now.”

   “Are you allowed to stay overnight?” Makoto asked.

   “I’ll explain the situation to the principal tomorrow. She’ll understand.”

   “Ah, ok.” Makoto said. “We’ll reschedule dinner. I’m sure it’ll be fine. Good luck with Nitori.”

   “I’ll look after him as best as I can. See ya.” He hung up, next calling Gou, telling her that he’d be staying at Samezuka with friends. He didn’t want her to worry. He wasn’t sure if Nitori was attacked by students or other kids, but he didn’t want Gou to be afraid of anyone. She told him to have fun. _Sure, this is so much fun…_ he thought sadly.

 

\----

 

   He read a book that Nitori had on his desk (a fantasy about mermaids which he surprisingly enjoyed) pulled a blanket up around the boy on the bottom bunk and then climbed onto the top bunk. The pillow smelled like Nitori. He fell into an uncomfortable sleep.

 

\----

 

   “Ah! No! Please!”

   Rin was startled awake by a yell from the bottom bunk. He heard Nitori thrashing around in the blankets. Rin jumped off the bed, hitting his knee the floor painfully. Cursing quietly, he saw a panicked look on Nitori’s face, still half asleep and crying.

   “Rin?” he sobbed. Rin reached out for him, embracing him in his large arms. Nitori buried his head into his chest.

   “I saw them Rin. I saw them…” he sobbed heavily, gasping.

   “I’m here, I’m here.” Rin whispered, rubbing his back, feeling Nitori’s limbs growing heavy with sleep again. “They can’t get you. I’ll protect you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm fricken crying. This chapter was so hard for me to write.  
> [Art for this chapter can be found here!](http://sharkbiteprincess.deviantart.com/art/Nitori-Ver-2-490494912)  
> Comments are greatly appreciated :)


	8. Chapter 8

   Nitori stirred uncomfortably in his sleep. The right side of his ribs were hurting again. He felt too warm, so he threw off his blankets and turned onto his left side, touching at the tender and probably bruised skin. The memory of being kicked made him flinch and open his eyes slightly. He gasped, noticing there was a body lying next to his. His heart rate sped up.

   _I’m in bed with Rin._

He blushed furiously as he squeezed his eyes shut. He opened them again when he heard a light snore escape from Rin’s throat as he rolled over, facing Nitori now, his arm lying across his waist. Nitori’s breathing stopped. His hair was a mess and there was a spot of drool on the corner of his mouth, but Nitori felt overwhelmed as he studied Rin’s sleeping face. He’d seen him sleeping before when they had shared the room, but he had never been this close to him before. His dark red eyelashes brushed against the tops of his cheekbones lightly. Slight red stubble traced across his jawline. His light pink lips were parted. Nitori wondered what he’d taste like if he just…

   Rin moaned and his eyelids fluttered open. Nitori quickly averted his gaze from his lips to his eyes. Rin blinked once, still confused in his sleepy state. His brow creased.

 _I’m in bed with Nitori._ His groggy mind thought, bringing a small smile to his face as he closed his eyes again. _Wait…_ His eyes shot open. Nitori was looking at him, his face full of shock and hesitation.

   “Um… Good morning?” Nitori offered, giving him a nervous smile. Rin’s face almost went the same shade as his hair as he sat up quickly, drawing his arm away from Nitori as if he’d been burnt. His sleepy mind was still disorientated and he wondered how he had gotten there.

   He climbed over Nitori, apologizing for taking up so much of the bed, still trying to hide the blush that coated his cheeks. Nitori sat up, also trying to hide a blush, though Rin didn’t see it. Nitori went through the events of yesterday, trying to remember how Rin had ended up in bed with him.

   _It was a nightmare._ His mind reminded him. _Rin comforted me. He must have fallen asleep._

   Nitori covered his hot face with his hands, on the verge of tears out of embarrassment and his rapid heartbeat. He heard Rin mumble another apology before shutting the bathroom door.

   Rin stood at the sink and splashed his face with water. He gripped the porcelain, his knuckles white. _Why the hell am I acting this way now? This is so fucking awkward._ He rubbed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. He let out a long breath, and turned to open the door.

   Nitori was still sitting on the bed, looking at his hands in his lap. He looked up at Rin, smiling sheepishly. “S-sorry.” He stuttered. Rin waved a hand at him.

   “No, no. It’s okay. I was just surprised and…” _Uncomfortable? No… that’s not the right word._ “It was a little weird, that’s all.” He wasn’t sure if he saw Nitori’s mouth crease down at the sides for a second or not, because he was still giving Rin a half smile.

   “Heh, yeah.” Nitori said, looking behind Rin into the bathroom, trying to diffuse the awkward conversation. “I guess I should probably jump into the shower.” He looked down at himself, as if just remembering he had been wearing the same dirty clothes for two days in a row. He picked at his tattered neckline. “No saving this shirt.” He stood, walked over to his wardrobe and picked out some clothes.

   “A shower would probably be good, yeah.” Rin’s eyes went to the books on Nitori’s desk, remembering the one he read. “I read one of your books last night. I hope you don’t mind.”

   “Oh? Which one?”

   “The mermaid one.” Rin rubbed the back of his head, a little embarrassed. “I kinda liked it.”

   “By The Sea?” Nitori asked, arching an eyebrow. “That’s one of my favourites.”

   “Yeah, that’s the one.” Rin said.

   “I didn’t… know you liked reading.” Nitori looked at him, a little quizzically. “And I didn’t expect you to like that one.”

   “Maybe you shouldn’t expect things about me.” Rin gave a toothy grin. Nitori smiled.

   “There’s a sequel, if you want to read it.” He said, walking over to the desk. He re-arranged one of his book stacks, grabbing another blue book like the first. He tossed it to Rin.

   “Ah, sweet.” Rin said, flipping the book and reading the back of it. “Sounds pretty good. Thanks Ai.”

   “No problem.” Nitori said. Rin walked past him to sit at his desk, opening the book. Nitori smiled. He had wondered when Rin was going to call him by his first name again. He thought back to the day before. His face dropped as he walked into the bathroom. Placing his clothes down, he looked up at his face in the mirror. _Oh god._ He actually hadn’t seen his face since the attack. He recoiled at his horrible bruises, his mouth gaping open. _How had Rin been able to even look at me?_

   He cried silent tears as he stepped into the shower. He looked down at his ribs. They weren’t as bruised as he thought they’d be, but they were still slightly purple. He probed at the skin, thankful that his ribs were still intact. He washed his hair out and closed his eyes, revelling in the feeling of hot water washing over his skin. He stayed in the shower longer than usual. He wanted to stay there forever.

   He sighed as he turned off the shower, dried off and got dressed. He looked at his face in the mirror again. His nose was a little red and his unbruised eye was a little wet still. He rubbed the tear away. He stepped out of the bathroom, looking to Rin, sitting at the desk with his legs propped up on it. He looked up at Nitori over the book, studying his face. “You look better.”

   “Still hurts a bit.” Nitori said, covering his eye. “I’m sure I have a pair of sunglasses somewhere.”

   “I…” Nitori cocked his head slightly at Rin’s pink face. “I wanted to have a shower, but I don’t have any other clothes. Do you have any I could borrow?” Nitori nodded. He walked to his closet, pulling the doors open.

   “You’re lucky I hit a growth spurt.” He commented. “I just recently had to buy larger clothes.” He passed Rin a singlet, shorts and underwear. Rin blushed a little darker and Nitori chuckled. “They’re clean, don’t worry.”

 _I’m not worried if they’re clean._ Rin thought, bookmarking his page and heading for the bathroom.

 

\----

 

   After his shower and asking if Nitori was okay again, Rin went down to the cafeteria to grab some breakfast for them both. As he knew he would be, he was soon ambushed by Momo.

   “Rin! Rin-senpai!”

   Rin looked to his side as he was almost tackled to the ground. Momo latched himself to Rin arm, his face twisted into a look of concern. “So? Is Nitori-senpai okay?”

   “Uh…” he wasn’t sure how much Nitori wanted the others to know. “He’s better. He was just having a bad day.” Momo raised an eyebrow.

   “He used to let me talk to him on his bad days.” Momo said, his voice lowering, removing his hands from Rin’s shoulders. “He’s told me a bit about the bullying. Did it have something to do with that?”

   Rin dropped his eyes and nodded. “I didn’t think anyone else knew.”

   “It’s hard to not notice what he’s been going through.” Momo’s face lit up a little. “But you’ll be able to help him right?”

   “I really want to, yeah.” Rin looked at Momo again. He wondered why Nitori had decided to switch rooms. Momo seemed like a really great friend. A little bit wild sometimes, but still supportive.

   “Can I come visit?” Momo asked.

   “I’m not sure.” Rin said sincerely. “I’ll ask him when I get back.”

   “Mmm… ok.” Momo seemed content with his answer. “Tell him the team is missing their Captain!” He smiled widely.

   “Yeah, of course.” Rin lifted his fist and Momo bumped it with his. He continued into the cafeteria to get breakfast.

 

 ----

 

   “I feel really bad about letting the team down.” Nitori sighed, sitting cross-legged on the bottom bunk, listening to Rin’s recount of Momo’s ambush.

   “I don’t blame you for taking time off.” Rin said from the chair at the desk, lowering the spoon of cereal away from his mouth. “I would have done the same. They’ll understand.”

   “I hope so.” Nitori said, then continued devouring his cereal. He hadn’t eaten in at least a day. Rin was happy to see him eating. He stood and sat on the bunk next to Nitori.

   “I called Makoto and Haru yesterday afternoon for advice.” He said. “How do you feel about talking to the principal today?”

   “Er…” Nitori looked down into his empty bowl.

   “I’ll come with you, if you want.”

   “I’d like that.” Nitori looked into Rin’s eyes. “Thank you.”

   Rin felt a small warmth fill his chest. He tried to ignore it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm happy with this chapter. Rintori fluff piece pretty much, haha!


	9. Chapter 9

   “We should go. I signed in yesterday and was supposed to sign out. The staff is probably concerned. Also Mrs Wakahisa will need to know about the… incident… and why you skipped class yesterday.”

   “Mm, yeah okay.” Nitori nodded. He had found his sunglasses which mostly covered the bruise on his eye. He twisted them in his hands a little then placed them on. He stood as Rin made his way to the door.

   “Are you sure you’re okay?” Rin asked as they walked down the hall. “Are you alright with talking about what happened?”

   “I’m not sure. I’ll do what I have to though.” He looked away, checking if anyone else was around to hear them. He was still on edge, Rin noticed. He was a little fidgety and had a slight tremor in his shoulders. Rin sighed, the rage still burning him up. _If I ever get my hands of those bastards I..._

   “Captain?”

  Nitori almost jumped out of his skin as Momo rounded the corner. Momo stood for a second, assessing the situation. Rin wasn’t sure what he was going to do. He was a little scared, to be honest.

  “Uh, hey.” Momo walked up to them hesitantly, eyes flicking from Nitori’s glasses to Rin to the floor. “I’m sorry for annoying you at your door yesterday. I understand.”

   “And I’m sorry for yelling at you.” Nitori apologized. “It was rude of me. You didn’t know.” Momo ruffled the hair on the back of his head nervously.

   “I’m late for class, forgot a few books.” Momo’s face lit up again, his usual smile in place. “I’ll see you guys later, yeah?”

   “How’s lunch sound?” Rin offered. Momo agreed cheerfully as he passed them and bounded down the hall to his room. Nitori sighed.

   “I’m happy he ran into us.” He said a little breathlessly. “I feel pretty bad. He just wanted to help.”

   “He’s a great kid.” Rin nodded. “Why did you move out of his room?”

   “Well,” Nitori said, a squeamish look washing over his face. “He likes toads.”

 

\-------

 

   “Mr Matsuoka!” The receptionist stood behind her desk, her hands on her hips. “We were wondering where you wandered off to!”

   “Uh, sorry. It was a bit of an emergency.” He looked at Nitori. He slowly removed his sunglasses and the receptionist gasped. She hurried from behind the desk, wringing her hands. “What happened?”

   “A group of boys attacked me just outside the school grounds.” Nitori said quietly.

   “We’d like to see Mrs Wakahisa, just to clear up why I stayed and why Nitori hasn’t been in class.” Rin asked.

   “Oh, yes, of course. But… do you think you should go to the nurse first?”

   “I don’t think anything’s broken.” Nitori stated. “Just a bit tender.”

   “Okay, okay.” The receptionist rounded her desk again and held down the intercom button. “Tia, I’ve got Nitori Aiichirou and Matsuoka Rin here to see you. There seems to have been a bullying incident.”

   “Send them in, please.”

   The receptionist walked over to the door and held it open for them. Mrs Wakahisa stood as they walked in. She took in Nitori’s face injuries and her face fell.

   “Please, sit.” She gestured to the chairs. “I’d like to know what happened.”

 

\-----

 

   Mrs Wakahisa sat thoughtfully as she listened to the recount of Nitori’s attack and why Rin stayed. She offered to put a patch over Nitori’s eye but he declined.

   “Were they students?” She asked

   “I’m not sure. It’s still kind of blurry. I don’t think they were.”

   “Hmm…” Mrs Wakahisa put her fingers to her temple. “Either way, I think the school needs another reminder about the bullying policies. I’ll hold an assembly next week and find out if anyone who saw the attack will come forward afterwards. I’ll leave your name out, of course. I promise I will help you find the attackers.”

 

\-----

 

   Rin and Ai met up with Momo afterwards and they sat in a corner of the lunch room. Rin had to keep hushing him as Nitori told him what happened.

   “Those dickwads messed with the wrong Captain!” Momo said, punching at the air. Nitori smiled up at him, gesturing with his hands for him to calm down. “Sorry, I am just so angry!” Momo fumed.

   “It’s understandable.” Rin mumbled through a mouthful of noodles.

   “You’re alright, though?” Momo asked. “You’ll still make it to Nationals?”

   “Of course!” Nitori cried, a wide smile forming. “We’re going to Tokyo!”

   “That’s our Captain!” Momo said, reaching a hand out to ruffle Ai’s hair. “But, uh, are you gonna be able to train soon? With…” He gestured to his eye. Nitori sighed.

   “The swelling has already gone down a lot, but I’m not sure if I can wear goggles yet.”

   “I’d advise against it.” Rin said. He lifted up Ai’s sunglasses to check at the bruise. He instead looked Nitori straight in the eyes. He’d never noticed how damn BLUE they were before. He lowered the glasses again, looking away, his thoughts flustered. Momo looked between the two of them for a second and then smiled.

   “Oh well, give it a day or two and it should be healed enough. I can’t count how many black eyes I had as a kid!” He laughed. “Will you come to practise tomorrow afternoon to watch?”

   “We’ll definitely be there.” Rin said. “I can’t wait to jump into that pool again!”

   “I might hop in too, I’ll just have to avoid going underwater.” Nitori shrugged. “Could you, um… tell the team? I don’t want them to be too alarmed when they see my face.”

   “They’re always alarmed when they see your face, Captain!” Momo laughed, clutching his stomach. Rin and Nitori both looked at each other then rolled their eyes.

 

\-----

 

   “Hey Ai, could I talk to you for a sec?” Momo asked as the bell rang. Nitori nodded and Rin gestured to the door and said, “I’ll be in the hall.” Nitori watched as he left and when he looked back at Momo he saw that he had a smug grin on his face and an eyebrow raised.

   “What?” Nitori asked, puzzled.

   “Remember that thing…” Momo said slyly. “That thing you told me about a few weeks ago?” Nitori’s face paled. _Shit._

   Nitori had stupidly fumbled his words and told Momo that he had feelings for Rin about a month ago. Momo had practically screamed in delight and amusement. He wouldn’t get off his back about Rin for a few days afterwards until Nitori had shushed him by giving him his dessert.

   “Uh… yeah?” Nitori asked hesitantly.

   “Well…” Momo said, throwing his arm around his shoulder. “I think he likes you too.” He whispered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A NEW CHAPTER FINALLY  
> And i just really wanted to write about Momo being a good friend because omg MOMO  
> (and they were gonna go to a councillor but i left it out because i spent half the afternoon/night writing this)
> 
> EDIT: so they're going to watch the team practice tomorrow afternoon now so there's a night in between


	10. Chapter 10

    Nitori and Momo accompanied Rin to the gate of the Academy. The sun was setting and Rin hitched his bag up higher on his shoulder.

    “I’ll be back tomorrow.” He said. “Got to see your team training, Ai. Maybe give them a few tips of my own.” He smiled his trademark toothy grin.

    “What, you think I’m not doing a good enough job?” Nitori asked, smiling back at him.

    “Come on guys, I think you’re both great captains!” Momo slapped them both on the back. “No fighting now!”

   Rin laughed, looking back at Nitori. He studied his face, trying to read his true emotions behind the dark sunglasses.

    “You’re okay, right?”

    “Uh...” Nitori looked away. Rin could tell he didn’t want to say it. He looked to Momo, who nodded. _I’ll look after him._

   “We’re having ravioli for dinner tonight!” Momo tried to lighten the mood, only to have Nitori look at him with a raised eyebrow.

   “I have to catch my train, I’ll see you guys tomorrow afternoon.” Rin waved them off, giving Nitori another lingering look. “Take care.”

    “Yeah, okay Rin” Nitori waved, smiling again. He and Momo stood for a while at the gate, watching him go. Momo clapped him on the back again.

    “Come on! Ravioli! It’s food time!” He exclaimed. Nitori shook his head in amusement.

 

\----

 

    “Do you know who did it yet?” Makoto asked, handing Rin a tea.

    “Nitori said he didn’t know. I didn’t want to push him for answers.”

    “That’s understandable.” Haru stated, sipping his tea. They were sitting in Makoto’s family’s lounge room, his sibling and parents already in bed. Haru and Makoto were sitting on a fold out couch, Rin on a mattress on the floor. None of them had bought up the subject all night until then.

    “I’m sorry I didn’t come last night, he asked me to stay. I… well…”

    “It’s okay.” Makoto said. “You were probably the best person to be there for him.”

    “I guess so. I just wish I could… have been more help… done something else… tried to find who fucking did that to him.” His hands balled into fists. “I just don’t understand why they would target him!”

    “And you probably never will.” Haru said simply. “There is no way for us to get inside the mind of monsters.”

    “You were there for him. You made him feel better at least.” Makoto put a hand on Rin’s shoulder. “And he has a friend there to look after him as well. And the teachers are probably keeping an eye on him too. Don’t worry about it for now.”

   “I just feel like I need to be there. Like I need to protect him… I dunno.” Rin trailed off. Makoto pulled his hand back, sharing a look with Haru. Rin’s eyes narrowed.

    “What?”

    “Nothing, nothing.” Makoto waved. “Finish your tea and sleep. You’ll be back there tomorrow. You’re also going to be flying to Sousuke's tomorrow night, right?”

    “Yeah, yeah.” Rin mumbled, taking another sip of his drink. He was looking forward to seeing his old friend, but his mind was just too occupied.

 

\----

 

    “You don’t think…” Makoto spoke from the shower while Haru stood at the sink.

    “Why wouldn’t I think it? You heard him, didn’t you?” Haru asked, his toothbrush still in his mouth.

    “I know. But I wouldn’t have thought he would be…”

    “I knew.”

    Makoto stared hard at Haru, and then laughed. “Of course you knew.” He tilted his head back to rinse the shampoo from his hair.

    “But I don’t know if he knows.” Haru muttered quietly to himself.

 

\----

 

   “A swim shirt?” Rin asked, already in his leggings. He and Nitori were in the changing room at Samezuka, the other members of the team already doing laps. Rin had been a little late getting to the school and had found Nitori waiting at the front gate.

   “Yeah,” Nitori said, looking down and pinching the fabric. “I… uh… feel more comfortable in this at the moment.”

   “You sure you’re alright?”

   “Yeah,” Nitori said. “I think it’s best if I stick to my routine and try to not think about it too much.”

   “I guess so. Also, they seemed to miss you. I don’t think Momo told them what happened. Are you going to tell them?”

    “Not yet.” Ai looked at himself in the mirror. The swelling around his eye had already gone down a lot and the bruising was turning an odd yellow, instead of still an angry purple-blue. Rin had studied his recovering face as well, subconsciously ignoring the slight pink shade that painted Nitori’s cheeks. “I’m still not ready.”

    “They’re going to ask though.”

    “I think you could easily distract them, right?” Nitori smiled at him. Rin stared at him for a second, then smiled back.

    “Haha, yeah, I think I can help you with that.”

 

\----

 

    Rin was impressed at how far the Samezuka Swim Club had come since his departure. The two new members of the relay team, Takuya and Kazuki, had perfected their switches along with Momo. He barely saw one touch the side of the pool before the next had dived over them. He gave all three of them a few tips to speed up their swimming and by the end of the afternoon, they had shaved at least one second off each of their previous records.

    Nitori had also decided to swim, not wanting to feel left out, making sure to not put his face in the water. He cheered the rest of the relay team on and vowed to remember the tips Rin was giving them.

 

\----

 

    “Hey Rin, I’m getting a little tired…” Nitori said quietly as they sat on the edge of the pool after half an hour of watching the others swimming, dangling their legs in the water.

   “You should go get some rest.” Rin replied. “I’m proud of you for coming for your practice today.”

   “Thanks.” He smiled. Rin smiled back at him, nudging Nitori’s shoulder with his own.

   “I’ll have a quick talk to Takuya, I’ll meet you in the change room.” Rin said, watching Nitori stand. He faltered a little, his face tight. Rin stood quickly, wrapping his fingers around his upper arm. “You okay?”

   “I’m fine, go ahead.” Nitori said, looking up at Rin. Rin dropped his hand quickly, nodding. Rin walked over to Takuya, explaining that Nitori was leaving early, while Nitori walked through the change room door. Rin followed him a few seconds later, his towel draped over his head.

   Nitori had already removed his swim top and was heading for the showers. Rin’s eyes were drawn to the bruise on his ribs. He quickened his pace.

   “Ai!” Nitori turned, startled. Rin instinctively reached out to him, touching his side softly, feeling at his ribs for fractures. “You shouldn’t have been swimming with those sorts of bruises! Have you gone to the nurse yet?” He stepped closer, the towel on his head dropping to the floor.

   “I…” Nitori stopped short, his breath catching in his throat. Rin was looking down at him, his warm hand still hovering over his injuries, his skin still moist from the pool, his eyes on fire. Nitori couldn’t look away, staring at the expression of compassion on Rin’s radiant face. He felt like he was melting.

    Rin noticed the change in Nitori’s eyes, from guilt to… he couldn’t explain it. His brain was mixing all the words that it could have been and he couldn’t pick just one. He watched the blush creep across his face, watched his eyes shine over with unshed tears. He felt Nitori place his hand on his chest, and then place his lips on his own. Rin’s arm slipped from his ribs to around his back as the kiss deepened. He felt like he was drowning and he...

    “Hey Captain!” Momo stumbled to a stop as Rin pulled away from the kiss. “Oh shit!”

   Rin looked at Nitori, shock painted across his features, his hands trembling. He looked to Momo, then back to Nitori, who already had tears streaming down his face.

    And then he ran.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for taking so long and this chapter is probably horrible but my friend finally read this fic and convinced me to write another chapter tonight so here it is!


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